An act of mercy brings gratefulness and a life lesson

“Mercy can happen in ways we never expect,” I said to my friend Cathy over coffee.

I was telling her about my son who recently had gotten his driver’s license.

“I’ve driven with him a few times, but he still drives too fast. Now that he’s taking the car out on his own, I’m always expecting to get a phone call saying he’s been in a fender bender — or worse. Whenever he makes it back, I always pray, ‘Thank you, God! He made it home!’ ”

Cathy smiled as I went on.

“But the other day he came home — and he was really shaken up.”

“ ‘I can’t believe it,’ he said. ‘Mom, I didn’t mean too — but I was driving kinda fast, and I remembered I needed to be in the other lane, so I cut this guy off — by accident! He was in this big truck and he followed me to the gas station and pulled up beside me. I was so scared! I didn’t know what he was gonna say or do.’ ”

“Whoa! That’s scary!” my friend commented.

“It’s very scary! I thought two things, ‘Who is this person confronting my son?’ and ‘Seriously, son? Why were you speeding?! What was so important that you had to go above the speed limit?! Then you cut someone off? What were you thinking? We taught you to be a safe driver! And, we sent you to that expensive driving school!’ ”

Cathy chuckled.

“So, the driver pulled up beside him and said, ‘I was getting ready to read you the riot act for cutting me off back there. Now I can see you are very young. Look, you cannot go driving like that! You could cause a serious accident. So let this be a lesson to ya!’ Then he drove off!’ “

“I said, ‘This could have ended much worse for you, son!’ And he swore to me, ‘I am never doing anything like that ever again!’ ”

“And you know what?” I continued, “I’m actually really thankful. My son was in the wrong, and he was shown mercy. He was taught a lesson that all my lecturing never could. I’m actually grateful for whoever-he-was.”

“That reminds me of what happened to me the other day!” Cathy exclaimed.

“I was on the highway and looking out my rear-view mirror, I could see a motorcyclist swerving in and out of traffic, going way too fast. This guy was gonna cause a wreck!”

“I ended up stopped next to him at the light, so I rolled down my window and pleaded, ‘You are so loved! Think of your own mother, of your family! They don’t want you driving and risking your life like this! Think of the people who love you!’ ”

“He nodded his head and said, ‘I know ... you’re right.’”

“You probably saved his life,“ I said to her. “Not to mention the lives of other people on the road. Who knows how that could have ended up?”

“All I could think of was that man’s mother — who loves him — and how he needed to be reminded of that.”

There it was — another act of mercy — right there in the middle of the road.

I like to think, just maybe, the motorcyclist recounted my friend’s words to his own mother. And his mother said a grateful prayer for my friend — just as I offered up a grateful prayer to a stranger in a truck on behalf of my son”

“Thank you, whoever you are, for your grace and mercy.”